Gleeks are Heroes!

Last night I was watching Glee and was psyched for the sectional competition. I always love the references back to Ohio (for anyone who doesn’t know, Glee is set in Lima) and smiled to myself when they announced that the head judge was Associate Director of the Ohio Department of Motor Vehicles.

Pete Saznowski encourages gleeks to register as organ and tissue donors.

The fictional Pete Saznowski took the stage. After thanking the groups for providing a good time for all in attendance he said, “You know what else is a serious good time? Taking two minutes to save a life by filling out an organ donor card. Because it’s never too late to donate.”

I practically jumped off the couch! I was so excited that the show took an opportunity to promote donation in the middle of such a huge episode. After Saznowski’s announcement about donation, Mr. Shu gave a thumbs up – as if I needed a reason to love him more.

As a PR professional working in the field of organ donation, I see many TV shows dramatize our cause and perpetuate myths. But seeing one of my favorite shows encouraging Gleeks everywhere to register as organ and tissue donors made me want to sing.

I do want to clarify that in Ohio we do not fill out donor cards. The only way to ensure your decision to be a donor is recorded is to sign up in the Ohio Donor Registry which you can do at BMV, online or by calling 800-525-5667 and requesting an enrollment form. Though this detail was wrong, the sentiment was still there – a chance to inspire Gleeks to be heroes and register as organ and tissue donors!

Thank you, Glee, for helping us save lives.

- Rachel Lewis, media relations/community outreach coordinator